Is it okay to give my dog different treat flavors routinely?

While some dogs can tolerate switching between protein sources well (chicken to lamb, etc.), other dogs can have issues and develop GI upset with the change. Nutritionally there is no need to switch protein sources, and dogs can have an allergy to one protein source versus another. If you do switch, I would recommend a slow transition over a week to see how she handles it

Thank you for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sticking with one brand ensures your pet doesn't have stomach upset because of switching the food. So in general we recommend staying with the same food. It would be better if you would just switch flavors but stay with the same brand. I hope this helps! Take care.

In most cases when you only change the flavor but not the brand, gradual transition is rarely necessary, but if there is a negative reaction to the change then it's a good idea to just stop feeding the new flavor. as long as the change of flavor does not cause any problem, 3 months at a time is a good time frame.

Most dogs will have no issues changing between flavors but a minority can be sensitive to certain ingredients/proteins/flavours and can develop vomiting, diarrhea or other sensitivities. If she has a history of dietary sensitivity, I would not recommend changing her again but for most dogs it should not cause any problem

Hi there. In general, if you're making a change, it's best to gradually start mixing in the new food over the course of at least 2-3 days rather than switching all at once - this helps to avoid GI upset related to a sudden diet change. As long as you do this, it's fine to switch to a different flavor or brand if you want to.

A dog's digestive system is completely different to a human's digestive system. While the anatomy is the same, the physiological processes are different, meaning they process food differently. That's why certain food are toxic to them and they can never have certain ones such as chocolate, garlic, onions, grapes, and raisins among many others. A dog food is specially formulated to contain all the nutrients they need in that one bag; therefore, additional or different foods are not needed. Their system is much more sensitive than a humans in regards to changing foods, which is why it's not recommended to switch flavors. Dogs are perfectly fine with one flavor of food for their entire lives, and that one bag of food will give them all the nutrients they need to be healthy on a daily basis. Dogs are not humans, they are different creatures with different physiological processes, and therefore cannot handle different foods on a daily basis like we can. Their taste buds are also different than humans. They only have 1,706 taste buds compared to humans who have 9,000. All these flavors are essentially a marketing gimmick aimed at the owners who buy the food. We as humans like to think that our dogs love having "beef stew" flavored dog food for dinner, when in reality they don't care. We are talking about an animal that often likes eating their own poop! I hope this helps you understand why it's not recommended to continually switch flavors of dog food :-)

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. If he has had both flavors in the past, you shouldn't need to transition every time you switch. However, if he develops any vomiting or diarrhea, then he will need the more gradual transition. I hope this information helps!